“What makes you think—”
“Because I have mastered that maneuver. I’m the bear when winter is over and spring comes. When it’s not safe anymore and I must venture outside, I hide behind a sharp tongue, and sharp claws, and a sharp sword.”
“Please don’t tell me bears have swords,” he murmured.
“Be a bear if you want to be a bear,” she replied. “But be honest with yourself about your motives, and be honest with me, too.”
“I—”
“Those kisses last night felt honest. Can you truthfully say you’re not tempted to have another?”
“Tempted?” he burst out. “I am the bear in summertime. Hot and sweaty and grumpy and ravenous. I wish I could say that you are the tasty little morsel that wandered into my cave by accident, but no. You’re the dangerous huntsman. If I don’t watch my step, I’ll be the bear carcass decorating your parlor.”
She shook her head. “My brother would murder me if I harmed a bear.”
“This is a metaphor,” he reminded her. “Not real life.”
“It’s very real,” she said. “Iama huntress by nature. And I would very much like to lie with you on the floor in my parlor. But is that any reason to hide yourself away—”
“Literally every animal does their best not to get caught by hunters. It’s natural. It’slogical. Protecting oneself from hurt is a mathematically sound practice that has ensured the survival of species for centuries.”
“I was never really going to stab you.” She paused. “Unless you deserved it.”
“I can survive a flesh wound. But there’s no sense in inviting injury unnecessarily. You and I may be experiencing a temporary overlap of proximity, but as soon as we find the testament and the deed… We’ll both be gone. Disappear from each other’s lives.” He snapped his fingers. “Just like that.”
She didn’t look impressed. “Is that a valid reason not to spend what little time we do have together, kissing?”
“It’s every reason,” he said firmly. “Besides, aren’t you on a mission?”
“You would apparently be very surprised to learn the sorts of extracurricular activities that can take place when one is on a mission. My family increases in size every year due to unexpected distractions whilst undertaking professional missions.”
“Well, I neither have nor want a family, so what yours does is irrelevant. I have my machines to consider, and a den of solitude to return to.”
“Bor-ing,” she sang under her breath.
“To you. Not to me. I spent all night puzzling the matter, and shan’t be budged. Maintaining physical and emotional distance from you is the only logical solution.”
She sniffed. “I thought you spent all night sleeping like a hibernating bear.”
“Hibernating bears don’t sleep the whole time,” he muttered. “They can leave their possibly-not-caves for any number of reasons. Learn some science.”
They glared at each other for a moment, then burst out laughing.
“All right,” she said. “Have it your way.”
Was that it? He’d conveyed his reasons for hesitation, and she’d accepted them? Could communication really be that easy?
“Why do you keep leaning against the wall like that?” he asked. “Are you hiding half of your body from view on purpose?”
“Yes.” She stepped into the center of the doorframe. Her free hand held a plate piled with breads and fruits and cheese. “I brought you breakfast. You don’t deserve it.”
“Bring it here anyway.” He made room atop the desk. “I’ll share it with you.”
She set the plate on the table, hooked her cane over the side of an armchair, and settled onto the cushion. “The marmalade is for me. And the bread rolls. And the apple slices.”
“I thought this was my breakfast.”
“You lost ten percent of it every time you annoyed me,” she informed him.
